KOCHI: It is rare to see people who practise what they preach. Fr Prasant Palakkappillil, who is stepping down as the principal of Sacred Heart College, Thevara, is one of them. Fr Prasant has been spearheading the institution’s progress for the last 11 years.
“It was entertaining.
I think I can safely compare the job to that of the district collector. Never did I get the same problem more than once,” quips Fr Prasant, who is also an environmentalist. Interestingly, the name his parents gave him was John Thomas. “But I never liked that name and changed it to Prasant Palakkappillil when I got ordained as a priest,” he said.
He began his career as an assistant professor in 1998 at Kalamassery Rajagiri College with the Social Science Department. “Later, I became the head of the department and continued in the position till 2010. The next stint was at SH College as its principal from 2010 to 2021,” he said.
Under his leadership, SH College made many achievements at the national level. “We received the state government’s R Shankar Award for best performance and have been among the best 50 colleges in the country since 2014,” said Fr Prasant.
SH College also got excellent NIRF rankings thanks to Fr Prasant’s uncompromising attitude towards quality. He was a peer member of the UGC NAAC committees, a member of the board of syllabus of various universities in India and abroad and a visiting faculty at various foreign universities. He has received many recognitions like the best principal award and the environment award.
A die-hard advocate of the environment-friendly way of living, he played a pivotal role in launching and promoting many environmental activities on the campus. “For the past 20 years, I have been riding a bicycle to short distances,” he said. As to life after retirement, Fr Prasant said, “I am a sanyasi. So, after retirement, I expressed my desire to go on an India tour for a month and I have received permission for the same,” he added.